Hollywood continues to remake successful European films. This one is a remake of a Danish film and a more art house film as opposed to some of the bigger remakes on the way.
I have not seen the original film so cannot make any comparisons. So judging this film without any preconceptions I found it to be an excellent film. It is a very real drama that feels like it could have happened. There is a bit of gloss as far as casting but otherwise the drama is handled very well. I am a fan of Irish director Jim Sheridan. He has mostly worked on stories about Irish people but here makes a very American story. Jim is great at bringing out the emotion in family stories. I agree there is a little bit of cliche and predictability in this story, however it is still very moving.
Jim has been able to assemble three of the best young actors working today. Jake Gyllenhaal has proven himself a great actor in smaller independent films as well as big blockbusters. He is very good here as well and does a good job at playing the families black sheep. Natalie Portman is wonderful in everything she does and proves that once again here. The most shocking thing for me about this film is that Toby Maguire did not receive much award recognition for his role in this film. This is by far and away the best thing he has ever done. I think he should have had an Oscar nomination. The young actress Bailee Madison playing his eldest daughter in the film is equally as good. She has one big scene towards the end of the film that has me in tears.
An excellent family drama that has a good emotional story at its core and a brilliant performance by Toby Maguire.
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